Editing International Space Station (section)

==== Launch and docking windows ====
Prior to a spacecraft's docking to the ISS, navigation and attitude control ([[Guidance, navigation, and control|GNC]]) is handed over to the ground control of the spacecraft's country of origin. GNC is set to allow the station to drift in space, rather than fire its thrusters or turn using gyroscopes. The solar panels of the station are turned edge-on to the incoming spacecraft, so residue from its thrusters does not damage the cells. Before its retirement, Shuttle launches were often given priority over Soyuz, with occasional priority given to Soyuz arrivals carrying crew and time-critical cargoes, such as biological experiment materials.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Trinidad|first1=Katherine|last2=Thomas|first2=Candrea|date=22 May 2009|title=NASA's Space Shuttle Landing Delayed by Weather|url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/may/HQ_09-118_Shuttle_Landing_Delayed.html|access-date=26 June 2015|publisher=NASA|archive-date=7 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307235001/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/may/HQ_09-118_Shuttle_Landing_Delayed.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>